Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the curry powder. Add the carrots, potato, lentils, broth, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Sprinkle the curry with the scallion greens and serve with the naan and lime wedges.

14 Comments on “Not Red Lentil Curry”

I think the problem may be because you are using store bought curry powder, which uses a lot of turmeric. See if you can find one that is red, for Rogan Josh as an example. I think you’ll find that more to your palate. Good Indian food doesn’t use curry powder at all. You have to use all the different spices. A bit of a problem when you only use them occasionally, I know.

One of the issues you may be having is that you are only experiencing one element of an Indian dish. If you go to an Indian restaurant, you will see that each dish is served with a number of condiments which balance out the flavor profile of the dish. Indian curry dishes often contain yogurt to counter the spiciness of the dish, just like Coconut milk is used in Thai curries. When trying out a new cuisine, try going out and trying them from restaurants, as authentic as you can find, and ask questions of the host, servers, chefs, etc. a recipe often leaves a lot out as far as what is served on the side or in addition to a dish.

So interesting that you blog about recipes and cuisine that you don’t like! I love Indian food, but don’t think I would like the carrots in this recipe. Years ago I used a flatmate’s recipe for a yellow lentil curry that also had cauliflower and tomatoes. I think mustard seed also. For the past two decades I have been craving that recipe and hope to find the cookbook someday. Maybe I need trip to the U.K., as it was during Junior Year Abroad….

I think the suggestions made such as going out to good Indian restaurants and finding something you like and not buying store bought spices are spot on. Nothing beats making curry pastes from scratch as well as spice blends…the taste is so far removed from store bought stuff…and of course, there are so many different types of curry…also check out the different types of lentils to use in curries as some are better suited than others and really need to be cooked down. Have fun exploring!

I love Indian food but that should come as no surprise as curry is Britain’s national dish…but that doesn’t look very appetising, I agree. I agree with all the comments here. Go to a good Indian restaurant to get an idea of the flavours and make at home with spices from scratch. If you don’t want to buy them all, at least buy a curry paste. I also think the red lentils would have made a big difference. I can get you the link for a chicken curry to die for, if you’re interested :-)

Any recipe for curry instructing you to use “curry powder” is bound to be disappointing. Curry is a blend of spices and no two curry powders are the same. It’s most likely either cumin or fenugreek that doesn’t agree with your palate.

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[…] food. I’ve made a number of different dishes for the blog (Butter Chicken, Curried Mango Chicken, Red Lentil Curry, Shrimp Tikka with Fresh Mango Chutney, Spicy Dahl), and been to a local Indian restaurant that has […]